Marcel Fässler (racing driver)
Marcel Fässler (born 27 May 1976) is a Swiss professional racing driver. He has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship as part of Audi Sport Team Joest with co-drivers André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer since 2010, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times (2011, 2012, and 2014) and capturing the World Endurance Drivers' Championship in 2012.
| Marcel Fässler | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fässler in 2013 | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  | ||||||||||
| Born | 27 May 1976 Einsiedeln, Switzerland | ||||||||||
| FIA World Endurance Championship | |||||||||||
| Years active | 2012–2016 | ||||||||||
| Former teams | Audi Sport Team Joest | ||||||||||
| Starts | 41 | ||||||||||
| Championships | 1 (2012) | ||||||||||
| Wins | 10 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 24 | ||||||||||
| Poles | 7 | ||||||||||
| DTM | |||||||||||
| Years active | 2000–2005 | ||||||||||
| Former teams | HWA Team Phoenix Racing Team Holzer | ||||||||||
| Starts | 87 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 5 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 19 | ||||||||||
| Poles | 6 | ||||||||||
| Fastest laps | 4 | ||||||||||
| Best finish | 3rd in 2003 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Professional career
Touring car racing
Born in Einsiedeln, Fässler began competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Mercedes-Benz when it resumed in 2000. He finished 4th with no wins in 2000, 4th with one win in 2001 and in 2002 and 3rd with one win in 2003, all four seasons with a Mercedes-Benz CLK. He moved to Opel and an Opel Vectra GTS V8 for 2004 and 2005, where he finished 9th and 12th with no wins after which the brand retired from the DTM.
Marcel also drove the Formula One Mercedes-Benz safety car for one event in Canada, while regular driver Bernd Mayländer was off due to an injury. He was on track for three laps after a crash involving Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya and Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello.[1]
Sports car racing
Fässler switched to sports cars in 2006, finishing second at the Spa 24 Hours in a Phoenix Aston Martin DBR9 and collecting two overall podiums at the Le Mans Series for Swiss Spirit. In 2007, he returned to open-wheel racing for A1 Team Switzerland in the 6th round of the A1 Grand Prix series held in Taupo, New Zealand, and in the 9th round at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico. He also won the Spa 24 Hours on a Chevrolet Corvette C6.R for Phoenix Carsport.
For 2008, Fässler joined the team for the full FIA GT Championship season. Sharing a GT1 class Corvette with Jean-Denis Délétraz, he won two races, finished 7th in the standings and helped the team finish 2nd at the teams championship. The same year he finished 2nd at the American Le Mans Series Road America race on a works Audi R10 TDI for Audi Sport North America. LMP1 team Sebah hired Fässler for the 2009 Le Mans Series season,[2] having a 2nd-place finish as best result. In addition, he and Joël Camathias were crowned International GT Open overall and Super GT class champions in a Trottet-fielded Ferrari F430. He also retired at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a works GT1 class Corvette and finished 4th in the GT2 class of the petit Le Mans, also for Corvette Racing.
Audi works team Joest hired Fässler to drive the Audi R15 TDI plus at three 2010 races: Spa (12th), Le Mans (2nd) and Petit Le Mans (6th). He also retired at the 24 Hours of Spa running a Phoenix Audi R8 LMS. In 2016 Marcel re-joined Corvette Racing for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and won the GTLM Class in the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with regular season drivers Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner by the smallest ever margin of victory 0.034 seconds.[3]
Racing record
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | HWA Team | AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM | HOC 1 2 |
HOC 2 2 |
OSC 1 9 |
OSC 2 3 |
NOR 1 13 |
NOR 2 7 |
SAC 1 10 |
SAC 2 4 |
NÜR 1 3 |
NÜR 2 3 |
LAU 1 C |
LAU 2 C |
OSC 1 NC |
OSC 2 12 |
NÜR 1 4 |
NÜR 2 2 |
HOC 1 5 |
HOC 2 Ret |
4th | 116 | ||
| 2001 | HWA Team | AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM | HOC QR 7 |
HOC CR 2 |
NÜR QR 8 |
NÜR CR 5 |
OSC QR 1 |
OSC CR 1 |
SAC QR 6 |
SAC CR 9 |
NOR QR 4 |
NOR CR Ret |
LAU QR 2 |
LAU CR 8 |
NÜR QR 7 |
NÜR CR Ret |
A1R QR 7 |
A1R CR 6 |
ZAN QR 6 |
ZAN CR 5 |
HOC QR Ret |
HOC CR 5 |
4th | 76 |
| 2002 | HWA Team | AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM | HOC QR 6 |
HOC CR Ret |
ZOL QR 10 |
ZOL CR 9 |
DON QR 4 |
DON CR 6 |
SAC QR 9 |
SAC CR 4 |
NOR QR Ret |
NOR CR DNS |
LAU QR 6 |
LAU CR 3 |
NÜR QR 4 |
NÜR CR 4 |
A1R QR 10 |
A1R CR 1 |
ZAN QR 1 |
ZAN CR 3 |
HOC QR Ret |
HOC CR 5 |
4th | 30 |
| 2003 | HWA Team | AMG-Mercedes CLK 2003 | HOC 2 |
ADR 4 |
NÜR 2 |
LAU 10 |
NOR 2 |
DON 4 |
NÜR 5 |
A1R 1 |
ZAN 6 |
HOC 3 |
3rd | 57 | ||||||||||
| 2004 | OPC Team Phoenix | Opel Vectra GTS V8 2004 | HOC Ret |
EST 20† |
ADR Ret |
LAU 7 |
NOR Ret |
SHA1 14† |
NÜR 4 |
OSC 8 |
ZAN 10 |
BRN 4 |
HOC Ret |
9th | 13 | |||||||||
| 2005 | OPC Team Holzer | Opel Vectra GTS V8 2005 | HOC 9 |
LAU 13 |
SPA 5 |
BRN 15 |
OSC 8 |
NOR Ret |
NÜR 13 |
ZAN 5 |
LAU Ret |
IST 10 |
HOC 6 |
12th | 12 |
- † — Retired, but was classified as he completed 90% of the winner's race distance.
1 - Shanghai was a non-championship round.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | |
 |
Courage LC70-Judd | LMP1 | 132 | DNF | DNF |
| 2007 | |
|
Lola B07/18-Audi | LMP1 | 62 | DNF | DNF |
| 2008 |  |
|
Courage-Oreca LC70-Judd | LMP1 | 147 | DNF | DNF |
| 2009 |  |
  |
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | GT1 | 311 | DNF | DNF |
| 2010 |  |
|
Audi R15 TDI plus | LMP1 | 396 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2011 | |
|
Audi R18 TDI | LMP1 | 355 | 1st | 1st |
| 2012 | |
|
Audi R18 e-tron quattro | LMP1 | 378 | 1st | 1st |
| 2013 | |
|
Audi R18 e-tron quattro | LMP1 | 338 | 5th | 5th |
| 2014 | |
|
Audi R18 e-tron quattro | LMP1-H | 379 | 1st | 1st |
| 2015 | |
|
Audi R18 e-tron quattro | LMP1 | 393 | 3rd | 3rd |
| 2016 | |
|
Audi R18 | LMP1 | 367 | 4th | 4th |
| 2017 | |
|
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | GTE Pro |
335 | 24th | 8th |
| 2018 | |
|
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | GTE Pro |
259 | DNF | DNF |
| 2019 | |
|
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | GTE Pro |
82 | DNF | DNF |
Complete American Le Mans Series results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Audi Sport North America | LMP1 | Audi R10 TDI | Audi 5.5L Turbo V12 (Diesel) |
SEB | STP | LNB | UTA | LIM | MID | AME ovr:2 cls:2 |
MOS | DET ovr:DSQ cls:DSQ |
PET | MON | 19th | 21 |
| 2009 | Corvette Racing | GT1 | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0L V8 (E85 ethanol) |
SEB ovr:7 cls:2 |
STP | LNB | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | 6th | 26 | |||
| GT2 | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | Chevrolet 6.0L V8 | PET ovr:11 cls:4 |
MON | 31st | 20 | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R15 TDI plus | Audi 5.5L Turbo V10 (Diesel) |
SEB | LNB | MON | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | PET ovr:6 cls:5 |
NC | - | ||
| 2011 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 TDI | Audi 3.7L Turbo V6 (Diesel) |
SEB | LNB | LIM | MOS | MID | AME | BAL | MON | PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
NC | - | ||
| 2013 | Audi Sport Team Joest | P1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi 3.7L Turbo V6 (Diesel) |
SEB ovr:1 cls:1 |
LNB | MON | LIM | MOS | AME | BAL | COTA | VIR | PET | NC | - |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi TDI 3.7L Turbo V6 (Hybrid Diesel) |
SEB 11 |
SPA 2 |
LMS 1 |
SIL 1 |
SÃO 2 |
BHR 1 |
FUJ 2 |
SHA 3 |
1st | 172.5 | |
| 2013 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi TDI 3.7L Turbo V6 (Hybrid Diesel) |
SIL 2 |
SPA 1 |
LMS 5 |
SÃO 1 |
COA 3 |
FUJ 14 |
SHA 1 |
BHR 2 |
2nd | 149.25 | |
| 2014 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi TDI 4.0 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid Diesel) |
SIL Ret |
SPA 5 |
LMS 1 |
COA 1 |
FUJ 6 |
SHA 4 |
BHR 4 |
SÃO 5 |
2nd | 127 | |
| 2015 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi TDI 4.0 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid Diesel) |
SIL 1 |
SPA 1 |
LMS 3 |
NÜR 3 |
COA 2 |
FUJ 3 |
SHA 3 |
BHR 2 |
2nd | 161 | |
| 2016 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 | Audi TDI 4.0 L Turbo Diesel V6 (Hybrid) |
SIL EX |
SPA 5 |
LMS 4 |
NÜR 3 |
MEX 2 |
COA 6 |
FUJ Ret |
SHA 6 |
BHR 2 |
5th | 104 |
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Corvette Racing | GTLM | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet 5.5 V8 | DAY 1 |
SEB 1 |
LBH | LGA | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | COA | PET 3 |
12th | 103 |
| 2017 | Corvette Racing | GTLM | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT 5.5 V8 | DAY 9 |
SEB 10 |
LBH | COA | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | LGA | PET 4 |
16th | 71 |
| 2018 | Corvette Racing | GTLM | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 V8 | DAY 4 |
SEB 6 |
LBH | MOH | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | LGA | PET 2 |
12th | 85 |
| 2019 | Corvette Racing | GTLM | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT 5.5 V8 | DAY 8 |
SEB 8 |
LBH | MDO | WGL | MOS 8 |
LIM 6 |
ELK | VIR | LGA | PET 7 |
13th | 118 |
| 2020 | Corvette Racing | GTLM | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | DAY 7 |
DAY | SEB | ELK | VIR | ATL | MDO | CLT | PET | LGA | SEB | 13th* | 24* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | MIS QR 9 |
MIS CR Ret |
BRH QR 18 |
BRH CR 5 |
ZOL QR 13 |
ZOL CR 4 |
HUN QR 1 |
HUN CR 1 |
NÜR QR 3 |
NÜR CR 10 |
5th | 62 |
References
- Hust, Fabian (16 June 2001). "Marcel Fässler auf dem Weg in die Formel 1". motorsport-total.com (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- Codling, Stuart (2013). Art of the Le Mans Race Car: 90 Years of Speed. Motorbooks. p. 230. ISBN 9780760344378. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- "Chevrolet Corvette C7.R wins Rolex 24 GTLM class in closest finish ever". Autoweek. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcel Fässler. |
- Official website
- Marcel Fässler career summary at DriverDB.com
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrea Montermini Michele Maceratesi |
International GT Open Champion 2009 With: Joël Camathias |
Succeeded by Álvaro Barba Pierre Kaffer |
| Preceded by Timo Bernhard Romain Dumas Mike Rockenfeller |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011–2012 With: André Lotterer & Benoît Tréluyer |
Succeeded by Allan McNish Tom Kristensen Loïc Duval |
| Preceded by Inaugural |
FIA World Endurance Champion 2012 With: André Lotterer & Benoît Tréluyer |
Succeeded by Allan McNish Tom Kristensen Loïc Duval |
| Preceded by Allan McNish Tom Kristensen Loïc Duval |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014 With: André Lotterer & Benoît Tréluyer |
Succeeded by Earl Bamber Nico Hülkenberg Nick Tandy |
| Preceded by Bernd Mayländer |
F1 Safety Car Driver 2001 Canadian Grand Prix |
Succeeded by Bernd Mayländer |